Israeli strikes on Lebanon kill at least 33: ministry

A wave of Israeli strikes on east and south Lebanon on Saturday killed at least 33 people, the health ministry said, as Israel intensified its air campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah.

"Israeli enemy raids targeting the Baalbek-Hermel region killed 20 people, including 11 in the Knaissseh locality," a statement from the ministry said of attacks on the east of the country where Hezbollah holds sway.

Another 14 people were wounded, it said.

In the south, where Hezbollah also has a strong presence, Israeli strikes killed at least 13 people, including seven rescuers linked to the group and its Shiite ally Amal.

The ministry said five people were killed in the southern village of Hanouiyeh.

Separately, it reported six rescuers with the Amal-linked Risala Scouts association and another with the Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Committee killed in a strike on the village of Deir Qanun.

Israel's military said in a statement that its aircraft hit "Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure sites in the areas of Tyre and Baalbek.

"Among the targets struck were terrorists, operational apartments, and weapons storage facilities."

An Israeli air strike on the southern city of Nabatiyeh wounded 12 people, Lebanon's health ministry said.

Saturday's attacks came a day after the ministry said seven people including two children were killed in strikes on the southern city of Tyre.

It said rescuers were still searching for missing people under the rubble.

"Israeli enemy strikes on the city of Tyre killed seven people including two girls, and injured 46 others," the ministry said, adding that body parts had been found and will be "identified with DNA testing".

On Friday the ministry reported an initial toll of three dead and 30 injured in the strikes.

AFP photos showed rescuers carrying bodies on stretchers amid the wreckage, as rubble and twisted metal were strewn across the street.

The NNA said the deadly strikes had targeted three buildings in the coastal city, causing "massive damage to dozens of homes".

On Saturday, Hezbollah claimed rocket as well as missile fire at Israel's north.

The group said its fighters targeted Israeli troops and military sites including a base and an area north of Haifa, in addition to downing an Israeli Hermes 450 drone over a south Lebanon village.

Israel intensified its air campaign on Lebanon on September 23 and a week later sent in ground troops.

The escalation came after nearly a year of low-intensity, cross-border attacks by Hezbollah in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas following its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war.

More than 3,110 people have been killed in Lebanon since the cross-border exchanges began, according to Lebanon's health ministry, with most of them -- at least 2,700 -- since September 23.